Zhao Cheng alone charged into the flood of enemy troops, plunging deep into their ranks. He held the pass by himself, standing firm against the endless tide of enemies!
The enemy swarmed around him, hemming him in as countless blades and swords struck his body!
Blood ran down his entire body, yet he still fought to the death without retreating. The Bronze Sword in his hand swung so fast it left afterimages, cutting down head after head. He even cleaved the enemy's blades in two with a single stroke!
His armor was already shattered and cracked!
His longsword was already chipped and warped!
But he fought to the death without retreating!
What chilled Feng Quan and the others even more was that the enemy's blades kept striking Zhao Cheng's body!
No wonder the defenders kept dwindling. The Squad Leader had been holding them all back by himself!
This bastard really was a ferocious general, taking on over a hundred men alone! He'd taken so many blows and still wouldn't retreat!
"You son of a bitch! Squad Leader!!"
Feng Quan charged forward with bloodshot eyes, heedless of everything, hacking wildly. "Get out of the way! All of you, get the hell out of the way!!"
"Bastards!"
The other Assault Cavalry elites were also shaken by the sight. Their eyes reddened, and one by one they went berserk!
"Kill!! Kill these dogs! Get our Captain out of there!!!"
The Han Army had already been badly frightened by Zhao Cheng. Now the Qin Army's elites had gone berserk too, and their fighting strength seemed to have doubled!
In an instant, the Han Army was driven back!
As Zhao Cheng fought, he suddenly spotted Feng Quan beside him!
Then Du Ren!
Feng Ruo!
One comrade after another—some whose names he knew and some whose names he didn't—fought their way to his side, charging forward desperately with him. His blood surged hot within him!
So this was what it meant to have comrades willing to die together?
But I'm not going to fucking die. You bastards really can die, though!
He grabbed Feng Quan, who had charged too deep and nearly been hacked to death, and hauled him out. Then Zhao Cheng slammed his way forward to take his place!
"I said I'm the vanguard! Get behind me and charge with me!"
Zhao Cheng's voice boomed like a tiger's roar!
He cut deep into the ranks like a sword's edge. The disorderly formation instantly fell into discipline, and the elites followed close behind Zhao Cheng, charging forward like an awl piercing the enemy ranks!
Only then did they truly feel the pressure Zhao Cheng had been bearing.
Being attacked from all sides was no easy thing.
Even seasoned veterans like them had been wounded badly in the blink of an eye!
It was hard to imagine how much pressure the young man who had made himself the vanguard had borne, or how many wounds covered his body!
And yet he still stood firm, a pillar amid the flood, holding his ground and pressing forward!
The Han Army kept falling in layers beneath their blades, but hundreds of defenders—enough to fill the positions atop Fang City—came surging forward in an endless stream, as if they could never be killed!
Kill one, and there was another!
The blades in front fell, and those behind thrust forward again.
Zhao Cheng's sword was already chipped, little better than a club, but each time he swung it, he still smashed in someone's skull, crushed a neck, or caved in a chest!
He could clearly feel that the force he faced now wasn't that of a single man, but of a battle formation—an unceasing flood that surged forward one wave after another.
Each warrior in this army might have only the strength of five shi, but five of them together wielded twenty-five shi!
And there weren't just five. As the vanguard, he had to face seven or eight men at once, sometimes more, while reinforcements behind them kept pouring in with all their strength!
Their combined strength bore down on him, and their blades stacked one atop another!
His stamina was draining fast. If he hadn't run through a round of simulations beforehand and greatly increased his strength, he would have died several times over by now!
Fortunately, he still had comrades at his side. But the situation was far from good. There were more enemies than he'd expected—probably over a thousand, counting their reinforcements. His own formation was shrinking, while the enemy was about to surround them!
He could fight his way out before he ran out of strength, but what about his comrades?
Zhao Cheng gritted his teeth and grabbed the head of an enemy soldier who was barely alive but charging in to wrap his arms around Zhao Cheng's waist and restrain him. He drove his knee up, shoving the man's nose straight into his brain.
Then he hurled the body with all his might, smashing down a line of defenders in front of him. He turned back to help Du Ren, kicking away an enemy soldier who was raising his sword to stab Du Ren, and sending him crashing into three men behind him. All four tumbled off the city wall!
But before long, more Han soldiers surged up, and the formation began to shrink again.
From the corner of his eye, Zhao Cheng saw an Assault Cavalry Elite take a sword through the chest and belly. With blood pouring from his wounds, he wrapped his arms around three enemies and plunged from the wall!
Zhao Cheng gritted his teeth and erupted with strength, forcing his way forward. He killed and kicked, hurling enemy corpses like stones into their ranks to slow their advance.
The Han Army's charge slackened slightly. At the same time, Zhao Cheng heard the Han commander roaring from deep within the enemy ranks. "Kill the enemy vanguard, and you'll receive a thousand gold, three promotions, and a thousand mu of land!"
"Kill one enemy, and you'll receive ten gold!"
"Take one step back, and your whole family will be punished!"
"He's at the end of his rope! Kill him!"
The Han Army went berserk too. Large numbers of men charged toward Zhao Cheng, while the rest stopped retreating. Their encirclement began to close again!
"Hahaha, come on!!"
Zhao Cheng laughed wildly, his expression twisted with rage, and pounced into the enemy ranks like a fierce tiger once more!
"Damn it!!" The Centurion below, directing the archers' covering fire, gritted his teeth as he watched that bloody figure cut into the enemy ranks like a sharpened edge. "The vanguard has already scaled Fang City! Let's get up there and support our comrades!"
"All of you, follow me!!"
Who cared about the fucking risk now? Even if they died, they couldn't just stand below and watch!
Sixty men quickly climbed up behind Zhao Cheng and his men. They charged forward, broke through the enemy's encirclement, and formed a powerful new force. They quickly took the place of their comrades, who were growing exhausted, shielding them behind their backs so they could rest for a moment!
Zhao Cheng had already gone through three swords. His breath shot from his mouth like arrows, and his iron-hard frame still stood tall as a spear. Without a hint of fatigue, he swung his sword, swung again, and swung once more.
Kill. All he could do was kill!
More Assault Cavalry soldiers gradually broke free below and rushed over. Without a word, they climbed the city wall, charged into the ranks, and took the place of their comrades...
Fang City Pass.
From afar, Han Ming, the Han commander at Fang City Pass, watched the Qin Army advance straight toward Ye County. After weighing it over, he finally sent out his troops. Two thousand Light Infantry headed north, but after marching only a short distance, they changed direction. They weren't going to reinforce Ye County. Instead, they hurried forward in a light, rapid march toward the woods west of the River Valley.
West of the River Valley, Meng Tian led over a thousand Light Cavalry in a sustained charge. Along the way, they saw many headless corpses of enemy scouts, whole patrols struck down. He recognized at once who was responsible and couldn't help feeling delighted.
"Brother Cheng is truly valiant!"
"Pick up the pace! Prepare to support the vanguard and storm the city wall!"
Just then, rustling suddenly came from the woods on either side!
Then arrows rained down, and men were immediately thrown from their horses!
"An ambush!"
"Return fire!"
Though startled, Meng Tian didn't panic. He calmly directed the thousand-plus Light Cavalry as they responded, but his heart sank lower and lower.
The enemy had set an ambush here. Didn't that mean they'd guessed the Qin Army intended to raid the South Foothill?
This was bad. Zhao Cheng was probably walking straight into an ambush!
Brother, whatever you do, don't try to scale the wall!
Meng Tian kept the Light Cavalry under control as they broke through. Just then, two thousand more cavalrymen charged in from behind. Meng Tian jumped, but then realized they were reinforcements!
His eyes lit up, and he broke into a smile. "That's Father's reserve force! Perfect—we've got them caught in our own trap now!"
The reinforcements quickly closed in, surrounding all the Han soldiers who were panicking and trying to flee.
A Captain came up to Meng Tian. "The general ordered you to continue toward the South Foothill and launch a feint. Once we've dealt with the enemy, we'll head straight for the north side of Fang City. If they've set an ambush at the South Foothill, the north side will be short on troops. If they haven't, your feint will still force them to send reinforcements, and I can seize the chance to break through the north side and help the main force take the pass!"
"Meng Tian obeys!"
After receiving the order, anxiety rose on Meng Tian's face. He spurred his horse onward and led his men straight for the South Foothill without stopping.
His eyes were full of worry.
At the Southern Foothills of Fang City, blood ran down the wall, and the stench of gore filled the air.
More than a hundred Assault Cavalry elites, with Zhao Cheng at their head, stood firm like an unshakable pillar amid the flood, fighting to the death without retreating.
People died with every passing moment.
Life and death played out in every corner.
Until at last, thunderous hoofbeats rolled in from the distance.
Over a thousand Light Cavalry charged straight for the city!
Meng Tian led a thousand riders in a swift charge. He was wounded, his face anxious. Since the enemy had laid an ambush beforehand, there had to be one at the Southern Foothills of Fang City too. He feared Zhao Cheng might have launched a direct assault because of his remark about earning the honors of being first to scale the wall!
As they neared the South Foothill, he looked up from afar, and his heart instantly sank halfway. They really had attacked the city!
The top of Fang City was packed with Han soldiers—far more than a thousand!
More were still surging up the wall below. The enemy had ambushed them here with over a thousand men!
Zhao Cheng had brought only two hundred cavalry!
It was over!
Yet as they drew closer to the Southern Foothills of Fang City, Meng Tian's expression slowly shifted from remorse to shock!
The flood of Han soldiers was being held back by a small formation. Hidden beneath the mass of Han troops, that formation looked so tiny—and yet it was utterly unbreakable.
At the head of the Qin State formation stood a blood-soaked figure, sharp and unstoppable. He wasn't retreating. He was actually pushing forward, fighting his way through the countless Han soldiers and holding back most of their assault alone!
He had carved out a stretch of the Southern Foothills of Fang City, clearing enough space for the troops to scale the wall!
Meng Tian's mouth fell open. His whole body trembled before he could stop himself, and even his voice shook.
"A god of war!?"
His eyes blazed with excitement. He spurred his horse desperately, leading the thousand-plus Flying Cavalry in a swift charge toward the city wall. Then, using the stretch Zhao Cheng had taken, they quickly climbed up!
Large numbers of Qin State elites rushed into the battle, immediately driving the Han Army back step by step!
With the pressure on Zhao Cheng and his men finally easing, they let Meng Tian's troops take over the fight. Many of the Assault Cavalry elites immediately collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, feeling as if they had clawed their way out of the gates of hell once more!
Many burst out laughing, while others looked at their fallen comrades and silently reddened their eyes.
Zhao Cheng still stood tall and straight as a pine. Blood ran down his battered armor, and as his eyes swept across the battlefield, his murderous aura seemed almost tangible.
"Feng Quan!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Feng Quan got to his feet, limping.
Zhao Cheng said, "Count the comrades who fell in battle. Give me their names."
Feng Quan's heart warmed. "Don't worry, sir. Our Qin State will never neglect the families of its fallen heroes! Someone will surely—"
"How the government provides for them is their business. Give me their names."
"As long as I live, no one will bully their parents or siblings, their wives or children. I'll protect them all."
Everyone watched the young man, standing tall like a pine and drenched in blood. In their eyes, a flood of light surged.
They had charged alongside this young man, but they had also been sheltered by him—and that was why they were still alive.
More than once, they had seen enemies charging toward them while they were powerless to fight back. Then that figure had planted his bloodied body at the very front, bearing the pressure for them and giving them a chance to catch their breath and seize the chance to live.
Such a ferocious man, if he survived, would surely be granted a marquisate and rise to the rank of general.
And with such a sense of responsibility, could his promise to protect them be anything but sincere?
Feng Quan tried to smile but couldn't. He could only lower his head in a deep bow, hiding his reddened eyes. "Yes, sir."
"From this day on, I, Feng Quan, will follow you with my life and never betray you!"
Many wounded men straightened up. They said nothing, but stood behind Feng Quan and bowed deeply to Zhao Cheng with him.
A fierce wind swept up the stench of blood and passed over the Southern Foothills of Fang City, where countless corpses lay scattered. More than a hundred battle-hardened men stood in silence, bowed low in salute, and did not rise for a long time.
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